An optimized local access (OLA) network is a wireless local area network that supports different connection modes to maximize the connectivity between network devices in a local area. The connection modes may include access point (AP)-facilitated connection mode and ad-hoc, or device-to-device (D2D) connection mode. The devices within an OLA network may be locally synchronized. The local synchronization enables a D2D beaconing and handshake among the devices as well as the D2D beaconing and handshake with surrounding OLA networks. The OLA network may utilize the license-exempt spectrum or white spaces in addition to licensed spectrum to take advantage of the available bandwidth.
In a D2D or an ad-hoc connection mode, one of first steps for establishing a D2D connection is to discover the presences of neighbor devices. Given the highly dynamic and mobile nature of the devices in such a network, discovery of the neighbor devices and subsequent hand-shake to establish connections need to be efficient and fast.
The OLA network may use Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) transmission scheme that uses a large number of carriers spaced apart at slightly different frequencies. The OFDM transmission scheme breaks up one data stream into multiple signals. Many carriers, also known as “subcarriers,” are used for a single data channel.